Shadows
by Hannaadi88
Summary: In a world of crime and cruelty, can anything more than pain bloom from the darkness? Hong Kong X Pirate!England


**. . . Shadows . . . **

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Dark. Cold. And yet… _so addicting._

Breath hitched, a dark- haired figure made his way down a marble staircase, casting a wary glance over his shoulder. Careful not to make a sound, he hurried the last stairs, closing the door silently as he entered an equally eerie room. A darkened figure sat on a scarlet couch, smoke fumes enveloping his form, veiling his face from the newcomer.

"Do you have it?"

He nodded breathlessly. Reaching from under his cloak, he presented the seated figure with a slim suitcase. Not daring to look at his master, he retreated to a dark corner. Noticing other figures scattered around the room, slouching on oriental carpets and bright red beanbags, a sense of familiarity filled him.

The new with the old. Traditional with revolutionary. Rich and cheap. That was how he lived now, treading on eggshells while changing boundaries. Even after have joining this group months before, he still had a hard time getting used to this… to this _cult _fashion. A fusion of right and wrong. Gain and loss.

But mostly gain.

On his new silk road of trade, no one knew how balanced one had to be to finish the journey. If he completed it, honor and riches awaited him. Be caught… and everything will be lost. His place in the world as well as his master's, his group's… his _family. _They were in this together, and if he were found by the _ging chat_… they would be found as well.

Settled in his corner, he looked up, catching his master's eyes on him. Blushing, he was about to turn away when the figure motioned for him to approach the Dais.

He gulped. The master _never _took interest in him. Did he do something wrong? After a short hesitation, he slowly neared the mysterious figure. The master, in turn, chuckled and turned in his seat to face the newest member.

-()-

_Recruiting him had been easy_, the seated figure thought to himself. The trembling man in front of him had been just like all the others: hungry, ambitious and desperate. A simple promise of riches and comfort had enticed them, bounding them to him.

Oh, how _pathetic _human beings are.

With the seductive voice he always used with his followers, he asked the teen for his name, raising his hand to stroke the ashen cheek. The figure's lip trembled, parting slightly to lick his chapped lips.

"My name is Deshi, _Sifu…"_

-()-

The master chuckled. "What a fitting name you have there, _Deshi_. Your mother would be proud."

Deshi, on his part, blushed in shame. Yet he enjoyed the rare attention he was receiving- the first he had gotten ever since joining the group. Pushing his luck, he averted his gaze from the floor to his mater's eyes. Twin brown orbs entranced him, putting him under their spell. He could not look away.

Rapid shouting in a foreign language tore through the silence. The master froze, then settled back in his chair uncomfortably. To an innocent passerby, he would seem to be at ease- but being physically close to his master had Deshi notice the worry lines creasing his forehead. The tension was so apparent, that he could taste it in his mouth. The bitter taste of suspense and fear. There was no time to run and no place to hide.

Like a good captain, Deshi knew that his master would sink with his ship.

The door burst open, letting the light shine through the room. Blond figures in uniforms surrounded them, their piercing blue eyes searching the room and it's content. Deshi gulped, shrinking away from the center of the room as the leader of the invading group had set his eyes momentarily on him, only to blink in disinterest as he rested his gaze on the sitting figure. As Deshi cowered in his corner, he noticed how the smoke fumes and the light pouring into the room had made his vision clearer. Now looking at his master, he could easily distinguish his dark brown hair, creamy white skin and hazel eyes from the rest of the crowd. Indeed, he looked every inch a leader, sitting in his chair with certain poise and dignity. The foreigner seemed to agree with him.

Recognition appeared in the stranger's expression. His green eyes widened, only to narrow as he smirked. Approaching the settled Asian, he pulled off his hat in mock respect, making a show of bowing down.

"So, is this the lair of the infamous shadow king? Or," his accent revealing his identity, the Englishman reached out, gripping the other's face in his hand and pulling it upwards to meet his gaze, "the shadow _prince_?"

Deshi watched in horror as his master was made fun of- and yet didn't do anything about it. Was this his _sifu?_ The strong man he now belonged to? The man he looked up to? How could he allow someone to touch him without comment?

But his assistance was not needed. The Asian glared at the blond, shaking his head to break the Englishman's grasp. When not succeeding, he glared daggers at him, determent not to reveal a thing.

"What are you doing here, _England_?" the foreign name sounded awkward- even sinister- to Denshi as his master asked the stranger for his purpose in barging into the room. England chuckled, tightening his grasp. Before answering the Asian, he lifted him off of the couch, his arms on the other's waist. Lowering his head, Asian and European lips met for a brief second.

"You know exactly what I am doing here, Hong Kong. Stop this façade. Stop your illegal pacts", England whispered into the Asian's ear, "and come back to me."

Deshi stared, mouth ajar. Had those two just… kissed? Two men, not to mention enemies? And though Deshi could not understand the words that had passed between the two, he did catch the identity of the intruder. It seemed that they knew each other. Deshi was stunned at how much he did not know about his master. He could be a spy for the police, for all he knew.

Deshi then shook his head violently, trying to rid his mind of rebellious thoughts. But no matter how much he tried, an aura of doubt surrounded him. Sighing, he decided to witness the relationship to the fullest, and then pass judgment. Out of habit, he lowered his gaze as he turned his face to his master's direction, but then remembered the situation. Slowly lifting his gaze, he studied the scene that had formed while he was deep in thought.

Hong Kong's cheeks reddened, the blush reaching the tips of his ears, turning them scarlet. Without further ado, he pushed himself away from the British embrace and retreated to the back of his chair, never forgetting to carry himself with the dignity he had lost. Scanning the room, he let his eyes rest on each of his followers. Eyes meeting, Hong Kong gave a meaningful nod to each follower his eyes he had captured.

It was time to test the unwavering loyalty they had all sworn to him.

Deshi quickly approached his master along with the rest of his group. It was now time to protect the one that had saved him from the streets- not to pass judgment or to go against him. He felt his confidence in his master and in himself return with a burst of adrenalin. Picking up a knife that had been lying on the floor, Deshi felt his pulse quicken.

His first gangs' fight.

If the British corp felt any fear at the sight of the armed Asians, they did not show it. Instead, they formed a half-circle, their guns pointed at the group surrounding Hong Kong. "Using your men to save yourself? I wouldn't have thought…"

Deshi felt his master's muscles tense as Hong Kong pushed through his human shield. Guessing at what his _sifu_ was going to do once he reached the Brit made Deshi run after him and grab onto his cloak, causing the other to stop in his steps. His master turned around, surprised, while England simply lifted a bushy eyebrow in interest.

"It seems that your crew cares more about you than you care about them," England mildly stated. The truth of it pierced Hong Kong's heart, causing him to stagger and eventually fall to the ground. On his knees, he was slightly panting, pain as evident as the now rising sun. Deshi was taken aback, horrified at the pathetic display. What was about this foreigner that made his master express his feelings so freely and plainly?

England smirked, gesturing for his troops to lower their weapons. He approached the crouching Asian, patting him on the back.

"Give up."

A murmur passed through the crowd.

"You are not capable of doing this any longer. All of this illegal movie pirating and drug trade you have done eventually had weakened you. Come," England offered his hand, "you have had enough of this adventure. Send the boys home and take a rest. What gave you the idea of doing all of this pirating in the first place, anyway?" he added as an afterthought.

Hong Kong let out a shaky breath. "You did. You have me the idea."

England, taken aback from the prospect, froze. Hong Kong on his part sighed, trembling slightly as he got up. Turning to face his followers, he looked upon them fondly, letting his gaze rest on Deshi in particular. He walked up to him, helping him from the ground and then hugged him, much to Deshi's astonishment.

"_m goi saai_, Deshi"

Said young man felt his eyes tear up as his master pulled back from their awkward embrace. Looking closely at Hong Kong, Deshi noticed how his master's skin was sickly pale, with dark bags under his eyes hinting at his lack of sleep. He truly looked exhausted to the bone.

Had they done this to him?

He wanted to ask, to inquire, but the Englishman had already settled his arm on Hong Kong's frail frame and pulled him through the door. Looking over his own shoulder, England glared at Deshi, mumbling something in Chinese about cleaning up and going home.

Deshi blinked. Home? This had been a home for him. And now his master was leaving without an explanation with people who Deshi did not speak their language? It was as if he had been stripped of everything he owned, kicked back onto the streets like he had months ago. Before his master had found him and taken him in. The next moments past by in a blur. The rest of the members had hugged each other and left the room, leaving Deshi all by himself.

Alone. Once again.

* * *

_Hanna Chan's Blah-Blah Corner;_

_So, how was this? I have been dieing to write something for this couple for __**ages**__, and the opportunity arrived in the form of a pirated disk from Hong Kong XD I got it from a friend a couple of weeks ago, and that gave me the idea. In fact, Deshi's character was not even thought of until much later, after I had already started writing the story. _

_Writing it, I was surprised at my ability to create an original character. One of the main reasons why I only write fan fiction is because I cannot invent my own characters ^^' So this was defiantly a milestone. _

_This is not meant to have a continuation, but if someone requests to know of Deshi's fate, or perhaps what Hong Kong and England did after they left *hint hint*, I may consider it =3 And Iggy is in his pirate!self, so…. Yeah, I hope you understood that *sweat drop*_

_If you liked this, please review\favorite or PM me! If you hated it, you can do the same :D_

_-Hanna _


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